This invention relates to odometers, and in particular to tamper-proof odometers which indicate usage, such as vehicular elapsed mileage.
Odometers are well known in the art. They are used extensively to measure and indicate elapsed mileage traveled by various vehicles, such as rental cars and trucks and private passenger cars and trucks. Accurate odometer readings are necessary for correct charges on rental vehicles. Correct odometer readings are also used by buyers and sellers of used passenger cars and trucks to determine a fair price using the accumulated mileage as a guide to the wear on the vehicle.
Many of the prior art odometers can be easily turned back to indicate falsely a lower mileage than the actual mileage, thus leading the buyer to believe the vehicle has more monetary value. The setting back of odometers is usually done by professionals who have special tools that can be inserted into openings in instrument panels, such as lampholes, to reach the odometer. With access to the odometer, a higher order odometer dial is disengaged from its driving pinion gear to free the odometer dial so that it can be turned back to any false number desired.